WASHINGTON DC (VOA) — Ethiopia’s Prime Minister genocidal dictator Meles Zenawi says he is prepared to order jamming of VOA broadcasts in Amharic, the country’s main official language. Mr. Meles compared VOA Amharic to the hate media that incited the Rwanda genocide.
The Ethiopian leader dictator denies having authorized the interference VOA Amharic listeners have been experiencing since February 22. But speaking to reporters Thursday, he acknowledged ordering preparations for jamming, and said as soon as the equipment is working properly, he would give the go ahead.
“We have to know before we make the decision to jam, whether we have the capacity to do it,” said Meles Zenawi. “But I assure you if they assure me at some future date that they have the capacity to jam it, I will give them the clear guideline to jam it. But so far there has not been that formal decision to jam.”
Mr. Meles said what listeners may have been experiencing for the past four weeks is testing of the jamming equipment.
The prime minister dictator compared VOA’s Amharic Service to Radio Mille Collines, which broadcast hate messages blamed for inciting the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.
“We have been convinced for many years that in many respects, the VOA Amharic Service has copied the worst practices of radio stations such as Radio Mille Collines of Rwanda in its wanton disregard of minimum ethics of journalism and engaging in destabilizing propaganda,” he said.
Voice of America Director Danforth Austin issued a statement Thursday saying, “any comparison of VOA programming to the genocidal broadcasts of Rwanda’s Radio Mille Collines is incorrect and unfortunate.”
He added, “the VOA deplores jamming as a form of media censorship wherever it may occur.”
The statement said VOA’s Amharic Service is required by law to provide accurate, objective and comprehensive news and information and abide by the highest journalistic standards.
Austin also noted that “while VOA is always ready to address responsible complaints about programming, the Government of Ethiopia has not initiated any official communication in more than two years.”
VOA language service broadcasts to Ethiopia have been jammed in the past around election times. The next election for parliament is just over two months away. But in past instances, the government denied being responsible for the jamming.
Monitors say the recent jamming has only been aimed at Amharic broadcasts, but has not affected Afan Oromo and Tigrinya language service transmissions to Ethiopia. They are heard on the same frequencies before and after the Amharic broadcast.
The Voice of America is a multi-media international broadcasting service funded by the U.S. Government. VOA broadcasts more than 1500 hours of news and other programming every week in 45 languages to an audience of more than 125 million people.
10 thoughts on “Meles Zenawi calls VOA ‘hate media’”
I was not surprised by this news. This guy is control freck. He want to control everything I.e military, civic orgs, journalists,election officials, juges what have you. For this guy jounalistic ethics will be meet only and only if jouralists read from the prepared material that is cooked by his thugs cadres. Any things that comes out from the free world is a treat for him and his thug government. I admire the jounalists thos who work in VOA to report the fact with out any kind of biasdnes. keep it up VOA. Down woyane! You are a hate monger yourself. Always when your are cought in a panick trying to steal sth. from the people you try to play the Rwanda card. It is not working this time. The Ethiopian people will send you to Rwanda if you want that.
this is deal breaker!
I can assure u that VOA is the most reliable and most trusted RADIO in any Ethiopian who stand for truth. We have been listening since we were kids and we will. No Journalist in Ethiopian Radio or Ethiopian Television can tell VOA journalists about Professional Ethics.
Why does Meles keep repeating the Ruwanda genocide every time the election approaches? Is this some kind of codded message to the people? hmmm!
have you seen the power of one determined media done to this racist butcher!we have to learn from this !
Posting at Meles and his cadres’ offices:
“When in PANIC, press the RWANDA button.”
Since the majority or better said Amharic is understood in East Africa including Ertrea, Djiboutti and Uganda the crook( Meles Zenawi)the election demagogy of TPLF/EPRDF will fall apart whenever a genuine discussion and/or media freedom is entertaining many listeners.
The people of Ethiopia need media participation and outlets but the die -hard tribalist junta has put iron curtain against the entire population.
The tyrant has exposed himself several times that he is not abided by the rule of law.
What he is saying now is a manifesto of declaring war against the whole population.
Jamming a legal Radio station is done only in war situation. Meles Zenawi should not be allowed to exercise such a bloody measure. It is a piracy as well as a violation press freedom. Besides he has closed many a media groups.
The tyrant should be arrested prior to the Election. Otherwise tens of thousands of people will be massacred in and around the socalled Election period.
The International community especially the US state department, the EU and Russia should watch this Warning for Massacre by the tribalist genocidee Meles Zenawi.
“When in PANIC, press the RWANDA button.”
This is the dirty and childish woyane known poison gift to Ethiopia. It is as it is as usual when they faces pressure and uncertain to their evil existence on the Ethiopian people huge and multiple cost happening only because of these few woyanes.
“Mr. Meles compared VOA Amharic to the hate media that incited the Rwanda genocide”
This is making me laugh and wondering how childish and uncivilized the woyanes could be. They are the one calling and identifying the people with Ethnicity and kilil rather than being Ethiopian(s). They came to kill the unity and patriotism identity of the people. This is/was their primary Goal.
The Rwandan situation was happened because of the sitting govt at the time was evil (less evil than woyane as the meles woyanes have nothing to match them with anything bad) playing with ethnic division. Yet, there was no neither in Rwanda nor elsewhere in the world Ethnic policy to administrate any nation but the woyanes.
The woyanes are the first in the modern human history ever used ethnic policy to rule a nation with divide and rule stile in its highest evil form. Because of the faithful and God loving Ethiopian people, their evil agenda (preparing and supporting people to massacre against each other based on Ethnic affiliation) is failed after making few damages in the 1990s.
Woyane (our evil Tigrean mercenaries) are not only the first to rule the nation with Ethnic policy (the policy of creating hostility and inflaming hates and crimes among the citizens), but also they are the first in human history dissolved the nation very well trained military which is the first institution in Africa (leaving the nation without defence in order they could do what they are doing against the nation which is very devastating that only history will answer it.
These few criminals the meles woyanes are just lost their last human dignity and became like new creatures on earth with no shame at all. Hearing them criticizing others with Rwanda massacre while they are the one ruling the nation with Ethnic policy and kilil (dividing the nation land based on their own benefit-taking illegally the fertile and vast land as much they want without any agreement while taking the nations power and having all forces under their authority.
The woyane policy is an Ethnic policy intended to cause damages even worst than what happened in Rwanda. They are on power implementing their sick heart, mad brain and liar tong agendas with Ethnic policy which is the first ever in human history.
Thanks to the Ethiopian people, their evil agenda is failing starting from the beginning. The poison they created to affect others, will turn on them. No matter what they try and do, the Ethiopian people will never ever hurt against each other because of these few Woyanes and their backward supporters saying and doing so. They still don’t get it. But the Ethiopian people are showing them with reality (the only enemy the people and nation have are these few evil woyanes that are ruling the nation with Ethnic policy and kilil drawn by themselves according to their own benefit).
Comment #4,
I hate Weyanes and Meles is not particularly any person I care for. But, to say, VOA is the most btrusted news outlet is stretching the truth. They just carry the US foreign policy, which has been helping create the misery of the Horn!
Meles thinks VOA is Walta Information centre, which unquestionably is a TPLF mouth piece. By trying to jam VOA he needs to understand that he is adding more fuel to his wounds and at the same time giving more popularity to the VOA Amharic Service.